Washing machines have been used for many years in a variety of ways, from typical household clothes washers to heavy duty industrial washers. One of the challenges of designing industrial washers is to maximize their interior capacity while reducing their exterior dimensions so that valuable shop floor space is saved. Larger industrial washers may have a grated floor so that contaminated fluid from the cleaning process drains into a tank below. Advantageously, the grated floor allows the entire area below the grated floor to act as a tank. In addition, since it is cumbersome to install plumbing in the floor of industrial facilities, modular industrial washers are preferred, because they can be located virtually anywhere in a facility, and because they do not require specialized installation.
FIGS. 1 and 2 are a perspective view and an exploded view, respectively, of traditional pump suction assembly 20. Traditional pump suction assemblies include pump suction box 22, screen 24, and screen top 26 which are located at the bottom of a tank. Box 22 also includes tabs (not shown) extending from the bottom to create a gap between the bottom of the box and the screen to allow fluid to enter the bottom of the box. Screen 24 is used to prevent large debris from the contaminated fluid from entering the pump suction assembly and causing damage to the pump or pipes. Screen top 26 fits atop screen 24 to prevent the contaminated fluid from bypassing the screen.
Box 22 has an outlet port 28 that is connected to a pump in order to provide suction for the removal of the contaminated fluid. In operation, the fluid enters box 22 at the bottom and exits through outlet port 28. Box 22 must be of sufficient size to provide adequate fluid to the outlet port in order for the pump to remain primed. In order for a pump to remain primed, fluid must remain in the system. If air is introduced, the pump will lose prime and will be unable to force the fluid through the system.
In a variety of industries, industrial washers are used to acid wash components and fixtures, some of which may include hazardous biological substances. Since traditional pump suction assemblies tend to leave inches of contaminated fluid in a tank, there could be a greater risk of safety and health issues, because the additional contaminated fluid must be manually pumped out or an additional less efficient pump must be used to remove the excess fluid.
While traditional pump suction assemblies have been used for more than thirty years, there is a long-felt need for a more efficient pump suction assembly, especially for a modular tank that is capable of removing more fluid from a tank without increasing the size of the pump or the machine, while still reducing the health risks associated with modular industrial washing machines.